This weekend dear friends brought me many jars of homemade jams.... strawberry, blackberry, golden raspberry.... fruit handpicked at the peak of their season and now all tucked tight into gleaming jars by loving hands. The winter is closing in but shining in the shadows of my cupboards are these citadels of summer. It reminded me of this Greg Brown ode, Canned Goods. Taste a little of the summer.....
"Let those December winds bellow 'n' blow
I'm as warm as a July tomato.
Peaches on the shelf
Potatoes in the bin
Supper's ready, everybody come on in
Taste a little of the summer,
Taste a little of the summer,
You can taste a little of the summer
My grandma's put it all in jars."
Oh, holy cow!
I heard this song many years ago while listening to "A Prairie Home Companion", (before Keillor became an insufferable shit) and it brought tears to my eyes. Great find.
JWM
Posted by: jwm at November 25, 2014 8:00 AMI tried to explain to a Lefty once, that home canned fruit was different from what you buy at the store. You have those memories of the time that you processed it and put it up.
My boyfriend tells me that, when his mother in law died, his wife gave away all of food they'd canned together. There were too many memories for her to eat it.
Posted by: Teri Pittman at November 26, 2014 4:25 PM
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